Grant Thornton has boosted its public sector audit capabilities in Scotland with former PwC Director Joanne Brown as the new Head of its Scottish Public Sector Audit Practice. Brown, who brings 15 years of experience working with the public sector, will oversee the development and growth of the team.

Joanne Brown joins Grant Thornton from PwC Scotland, where she worked for the past 15 years, fulfilling different roles. From 2006 onwards she acted as Manager of PwC’s Government and Public Sector Assurance Team in Glasgow, after which she became Senior Manager in 2009, a role she held for two years, and Director of the Government and Public Sector in 2011, leading the firm’s provision of Internal Audit services within Scotland.

Brown holds a Master’s degree in Geography and Politics from Edinburgh University and is a qualified accountant from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountancy.

Brown brings extensive experience of working closely with (local) government, higher education and NHS to her new role as Head of Public Sector Audit at Grant Thornton Scotland. Brown will lead the development of the Public Sector Audit practice in Scotland and her appointment underlines the firm’s commitment to support the public sector in Scotland to meet challenges and opportunities.

Commenting on the appointment, Kevin Engel, Grant Thornton’s Managing Partner in Scotland, says: “Joanne will be a huge asset to delivering growth of our Public Sector team here in Scotland. Her valuable experience extends beyond financial expertise to provision of strategic advice and consultancy. This holistic approach is essential as the country’s public sector continues to face budget cuts and strained resources - they need to ensure their operations are running as effectively as possible.”